Friday, February 26, 2010

L'originale

There is just nothing better than the original, especially when it comes to art. Florence is filled with some of the most beautiful art works of the Renaissance, like Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Primavera, andGhiberti’s baptistery doors, with which Michelangelo was so impressed that he called them “The Gates of Paradise”.

These days, a visitor to Florence is bombarded with replica after replica, so much so that one can forget about the superior beauty of the actual thing. Take the David for example. The original is currently housed in the Accademia Museum. However, reproductions are everywhere and range from the sculpted copy in the Piazza Signoria (where the original once stood), to aprons screen printed with the image, and everything in between.

I bring this up because I just recently revisited the Accademia after many years. I am reminded that, no matter how good, a copy can’t do justice to the hand of Michelangelo, especially when it comes to the colossal David. Some of the most stunning nuances of style and execution are lost, even on the quite convincing copy that stands in the Piazza and frequently fools many tourists. I just thought that this was an interesting point to keep in mind. Off to Perugia this weekend!